Three correctional officers were hospitalized after being exposed to illicit drugs at a federal prison in B.C.’s Fraser Valley earlier this month, according to their union. The incident happened during a “routine targeted search” at the Pacific Institution on June 11, the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said in a news release Monday. “An inmate became assaultive and attempted to destroy evidence by dispersing what was later confirmed to be fentanyl, exposing the responding officers,” the UCCO said. “Three officers were transported to hospital by ambulance, some required Narcan, and one officer required chest compressions.” Correctional Service Canada confirmed a total of five officers were exposed to a drug while working, but disputed that it was fentanyl. “All officers have since been discharged from hospital and the substance has since been determined by laboratory results to have been a mix of stimulants,” a spokesperson told CTV News in a statement. The union highlighted this month’s incident as Correctional Service Canada faces significant budget cuts—with the federal government setting a 15 per cent spending reduction target over the next three years. The UCCO has said mobile patrols and dog searches are both being impacted by the approximately $132 million in cost savings required to meet that mandate. Those changes will “significantly reduce” the ability of staff to intercept drugs coming into prisons, union president Frédérick Lebeau said in the union’s news release. Meanwhile, the volume of drugs being smuggled into prisons is on the rise, according to the UCCO. “The policies that once supported a coherent strategy to combat illicit drugs in our institutions are being dismantled at precisely the wrong time,” Lebeau said. CTV News has asked the union for any data available on that increase in drug smuggling. This story will be updated if a response is received. On the union’s concerns about budget cuts, CSC noted that dog searches will “continue to be deployed to different sites as required, based on risk, intelligence and operational requirements,” and mobile patrols “remain an important component of security.” “CSC continues to invest in intelligence capabilities to reduce the introduction of contraband into federal institutions, including through the ongoing expansion of drone detection systems, body scanners, and other digital technologies to strengthen institutional safety and support front-line staff in maintaining secure environments,” the spokesperson said.
